Arthur was never in a hurry. He just wasn't one of those.
While the other students scurried from class to class with backpacks bouncing and earbuds firmly stuffed in, Arthur strolled under the trees looking like he had all the time in the world. A paper in one hand, coffee in the other, earbuds dangling loosely around his neck-more for decoration than use.
He liked mornings like this. The cool breeze, the sun just coming over the rooftops, and a few moments of silence before the real pandemonium of class. Just felt quiet. The world was so… frozen.
"Arthur!" a voice was calling behind him.
He smiled at Alicia as she jogged up panting.
"You forgot your notebook again," she said, thrusting it out toward him with a teasing smile.
"Ahh, my saviour" he said, grinning. "What would I do without you?"
"Fail Calculus, probably."
"True enough."
Taking it from her, he gave a grateful smile. Seriously, how could anyone not like Arthur? He was neither loud nor in-your-face, but he did have an aura about him that somehow made you feel calm and safe - the type who would help you carry your books when you asked, share their umbrella if it happened to rain, and get away with winning the annual uni 5K without so much as an ounce of training.
He was smart, athletic, and chill. But never boastful.
Just a normal Arthur.
He had spent the rest of the day sitting under a tree by the library, watching the clouds float by, munching on chips from the vending machine, and trying to convince himself like he was studying.
His books were open, highlighter in hand, and his brain was entirely elsewhere.
Being the best meant nothing to him. He simply liked learning. And helping people. Engineering had come to him-namely tinkering, inventing, and fixing things people thought were broken. It made sense to him-slots for puzzles no one else could see.
He leaned back into the cool breeze ruffling his hair."This is nice," he had muttered.
He had no idea how true-and how transient-those very words were.
As the classes got dismissed, Arthur waved farewells to his friends before he leave the school. Arthur walked alone under the streetlights, their soft halos flickering over the lonely road while he walked home, hands in pockets and mind away with the night wind. Arthur strolled home, hands in pockets, grinning, reliving that earlier's laughter Alicia teasing him in class,and the buzz of voices in the hallways school was over, but the memories sliced through them like the sun's fading warmth.
By the time he got home, the sky was a deep shade of blue, last light illuminating the place with long shadows from the streetlights in the fog. The porch light was on, as always, and he could smell his mom's cooking from the windows.
"I'm home," he called out as he went in.
"Welcome back!" his dad called from the living room where he was checking the news. He caught sight of his mom, smiling at him from the kitchen. "Wash up, dinner's ready."
Arthur, his mom, and his dad sat at their table like they always did, talking between bites about small things his mom's new flower pot, a funny ad his dad saw, the test Arthur didn't even remember taking. Nothing special. But warm, and real.
That night, after Arthur got into bed, he was staring up at the ceiling, the soft purring of the fan above him spinning around. He didn't know why, but today somehow felt complete. Maybe it was the kind of moment that you'd want to remember, even if you didn't know what would happen tomorrow.
Arthur closes his eyes and proceeds to sleep as he dreamt of a kingdom that was burning on fire.
A scorched city. Skies ruptured by roars. Wings as big as mountains. He found himself standing at the precipice of something ancient - something awakening.
The next morning he opened his eyes, and outside, it was gray.
But his world?
It had already changed.